Whistle While You Work

As we move into the season of street fairs and music festivals, I am more aware of how much music has woven itself into the fabric of our business lives in very warm and wonderful ways. Appreciating all the synapses that connect us with one another--like music does--is like splashing an array of colors onto a drab canvas and watching how they blend and blossom. Music often turns an ordinary moment into a magical one.

Back in January we posted on our website a video, filmed last summer at the Hi-Tech Dental Rally, of Brian Greer (East Tennessee Dental Laboratory), belting out his awesome rendition of The Cover of the Rolling Stone [in this case, The Cover of the LMT]. We loved it so much we invited him to sing it for you in Chicago where he surprised us with another Greer original about LAB DAY itself. Like a throwback to the 60s, his music turned our winter event into a summer-like "happening." The event was to announce the upcoming birth of LMT's new "baby": The BRIDGE, which has since made its debut.

A number of years ago, down in Washington D.C., I attended another musically entwined event: a Bego weekend seminar that paired a guitar-playing band of lab technician-Bego customers with wonderfully informative removable presentations from Bego executives. I enjoyed the way attendees bonded with one another in that setting, kind of like colors on a canvas. It reminded me a lot of how Vic Williams, one of the owners of Williams Gold (which later merged with Ivoclar) used to play his banjo up in the Williams' suite whenever there was a dental show in town. Who wouldn't want to do business with a happy-grinning guy strumming a banjo?

Then, a few weeks ago, I went to hear a 70s style blues band in my neighborhood. The fun part was that the band featured Cendres+Métaux's Frank Munzenmayer as the lead singer. He also happens to play some really awesome harp (that's blues-speak for harmonica). I have to admit I got a huge kick out of listening to his lovelorn blues ballads one minute and talking dentistry with him during performance breaks the next.

It's taken me awhile to put two and two together to see the connection between music--or what it represents--and our community, but now that I'm "there" I am so convinced of its importance and its relevance to our future that you can be sure to hear me harp on this several times over.

Here's my realization: this crazy world of business is being turned upside down. The work environment we boomers inherited in the late 60s is being discarded by the youngest generation of workers. This generation has discovered a better way and from my vantage point, that's a good thing.

The old world urged us to keep our personal lives out of the business picture. The new world blends everything together. I love it. I'm all for it, though admittedly, it took me a long time to recognize its value. I love how our LAB DAY exhibitors enjoy the music we play during show setup and I love the comments we've gotten when we mentioned we bring our dogs to work.

We whistle while we work because we like being here. We like the community we serve (that means you) and we're very excited to see you on The BRIDGE. We believe The BRIDGE can help enhance the transition from doing business the old way to the new. If you haven't already signed up, please join us in "keeping it real."
We invite you to go with the flow and meet us in this new world of business at www.LMTmag.com.

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LMT Communications delivers the business strategies, information, dental laboratory news and education that dental laboratory decision-makers need to succeed. Through LMT Magazine and our LAB DAY shows, LMT works to advance excellence in dental technology, enhance the products, services and communication of dental technicians, and give dental laboratory owners and managers the tools they need to flourish. Learn More »